Hydraulic transmission



Apri129, 1941- R. M. SCHAEFER HYDRAULIC TRANSMISSION- 2 SheetS -Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 2, 193-3 April 29,1941.-

- R. M. SCHAEFER HYDRAULI C TRANSMIS SION Filed Dec. 2, 193a 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

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to hydraulic t'rensmis j .Myv mtention reletes sionssan'd moreparticularly 'to -that .lnwhi'ch power is transmitted 'by -circulating a working fluid.. .between"a driving-"member in th form of a. p n-ortimpeller ania'driven' emhe" airran'gedasxaiturbineipairtor runner. 1* Briefly;.lmyairnprovetf transmission embodies 1 pair ot :fiuid' circuits definei! hy co'operaitlng' iin pellenani'i-iitui'bine elements which e' so i'efate'd thatnthefihydiaullc thrusfiiefl" I3 'i'li'fi chambereisfrs'ubstantidl -5eq1i 1 thetthrustrcreatd i 1; 'th avoiding an "neces'fsityrfor thrusttx-bearmgavtoi bsoib ithisloaid. vices, 'gth'wonking fluid ordinarily doe not pletelyfifilh theramachin hen 'iat i-es a importantqtogprdvideisome means fo the mass-iofaairioverrtlie fluidckiiown as ae" ing:the::transniisstonacshortly fefter th'e -h'egi of operation. it is, therefore com?nbiectzoi any: imientio 1%: I8e2the;;pertofi theif'crainsmlssion tor 'apl'ddeeercationtand 'ardirected cmovementiandPee t en Qiflth. a inmportion:romnesapparinis 1 1& 5 ushion DQKH' IHecXQaMiQIr-of theefluiiirr k ,v urt 1 bl ctriton providea-ioripressure we nthe fluidichambersmndctd 1 hef 'streams were? the bJectss of-smyaimzentioni Win81sppcificatignkzretene ompanyingeur'awings,

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..ifififil Qmal ngitherllne iti fi ii 1 looking in the direction of vthe?earmwsutg aan'dshowing the disposition of the vanes in a. runner.

Eischlsgeczsniarsesizsection alonB eli and showing one of the fluid circuits in an impeller.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, the numeral i0 designates generically a drivin thember, which may take the form of a, flywheel} as.

shown, or may be simply a shaft orany other nisc'oliitcn'coih mygm screws Z arbuiiri thezperifihery otith cured to'one iace i'ith yw'he'e'lby meansofi an screws' lz -and w'second im ener lo is secure' "to: tiie impllen l 'l 'byicapv'screws il whichwar ranged S1 in fi alternfiting relati'o'n ciwi't mthe'r 'impellei-sl'zzi Projecting iromithe=principel wal'lot-zthes 1m pellerfl i towardith righta isascviewedi imirigsfiw i'iitematingirelation: toisimilacrivbutishdrteflvaries:

{extrema ztl'ieair'nriellf 111; In hccoriianceziwith: ccented practice; tth'e'; wanes) andiiclimriflaii azii d areiraciiaillydisliosecharoundrtneiimpellerzand 1 15 viewed imilfg} shroud to s I bml'ii'linifiatlon with m Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

, passages? ititermediateriportinnsazoiiuttieim righ' ""edgesif; al's' msiareiiconnectedtibme iennuler lllirality threbyuiormi agesowhosetoutlet radially inwardithereofamfiimila (i tl' iii'oiectironiSthezirfinellfi "ndt'simi'lar. pas-s sageywithfitheseiirnesigan th .waille ofetherirrn" pellet; are'iformedsahfi an! nnulamsmioudtlm tttfeiirngelleml his axlalllm ngtzis mum-rematch a'fdriuem fshnfbuirk ionrnoled iins-acizthitust zbeaxginglc 23.; housing? imwhichsaencldses' the transmission andmhichwin he inresentiinstancez mafifiheriboltexiztoxthe iscrankcfaseaofizthezenginertoi 'whichcthezflxwheeizigtisgiittachedz-i it Agj-p'airiomturbine nunnersl-gzitggndzfltgareasym nietricallyoisposed between tneumpenersm manu .lisfffil'ldffiafih gunner isaprovidedimthiiazlternatfng vanes; 2 iandiakfie correspondingrto thzzimpelleii" 1031i? ta? pluialitiv:

issprovided iwitha aiihuh 3w 7,0 uay bes a'd dr r" essea to fofrii'iari afinu -t wnich hof iictsothei peripherab hort passhgessturntere im In? asscge jl i e around the hubs between the impellers ii and l3 and inwardly of thefluid circuits to which ref erence has already been made. Communicating openings in the-runners 25 and 26 provide a pressure equalization passage between the fluid circuits or the transmission. The passages 35 are not in communication with the annular pase -located mime: me periph i-yl'zotsthenimpelleriiLi and theeinlets vanesitiliieandi operate to form fluid turbimnitransinissionircim cuits, and similar circuits 'are formed hetwen the irhpellenitiiandi that 'i's keyed "to the shaftzifliqandethe't on'posed rice (5 disk pletely filled with any desired working fluid,such.

as oil or water.

Accordingly, there will he a mass of air in the upper portion ofthe apparatus above the surface of this fluid andit is necessary to shift the position of this air to secure the maximum efficient operation of the transmission; -When the impellers II and II beginto rotate, the runners then being stationary, the pressure in the space I2 is lower than that in the fluid circuits. The working fluid is discharged by centrifugal action from the delivery ends of the fluid passages in the impellers into the fluid passages of the runners where the pressure and kinetic energy created and stored .in the fluid by the impellers are converted into a motion of rotation. Similar fluid is also discharged into .the space 32 to thus drive the air radially inward through the passage 3] into the reservoir II where it is liberated. Within a short time after the beginning of operation, the mass of air has collected around the hubs 29, while the heavier working fluid is maintained by centrifugal action in an annular zone within which the wares of the impellers and runners operate.

Since the transmission circuits in the apparatus are located so that the fluid, streams delivered by' the impellers are directed opp sitely and toward each other, there is no thrust between the impellers and the runners that requires the use of a separate thrust bearing. Thrust reactions from the load are transmitted through the. hearing 13 to the housing II. Moreover, thetprovie 'sion of the passages ll provides a simple, method of equalizing pressure between the circuits that may be due to variations in the casting diameters of the parts and other imperfections. n t

It will be particularly noted that although the streams delivered by the impellers are directed toward each other, these streams are so confined that they are forced only against the/runners, so that no energyis lost by directimp'acting of the streams on each other.

Easy, rapid and complete filling of the fluid transmission circuits of the apparatusds effected' due to the fact that thesecircuitsare located radially outward of the .reser-vqir ;spaee '34, so that full use can be made of centrifugal action for fllling these circuits'when the-transmission begins operation.

Iclaim: a

i. In a hydraulic transmission, the combination of a casing having a pair of axiallyspaced impellers formed therein in facing relation, a shaft in the casing coaxial with the impellers, and a pair of oppositely facing runners mounted on the shaft in abutting relation, the impellers and runners coacting to form a pair of liquid working chambers and there beng a peripheral shells, a peripheral-s '4 enclosed.

' ing from 1-. the circuits,

space between the chambers and easing, the abutting portions of the runners forming a wall that defines with the casing a pair'of reservoirs and the abutting surface of the runners be-.

ing recessed to form a deaerating passage connecting the space and the reservoirs and through which air is driven to the reservoirs during the 'in the casing coaxial with the impellers, and

wall means extending from and encircling the shaft and having on opposite sides adjacent the periphery thereof a pair of oppositely facing runfne'rsjthe impellers and runners coacting to form a pair of liquid working chambers and there being a peripheralspace between the chambers and casing and the wall means forming with the casing a pair of reservoirs located inwardly of the. chambers, the wall means having a deaerating passage connecting the space and the reservoirs and through which air is driven to the reservoirs during the early stages of operation.

3. In a hydraulic transmission, the combination of a casing having a pair of axially spaced impellers formed therein in facing relation, a shaft in the casing coaxial with the impellers, and a pair of oppositely facing runners mounted on theshaft in abutting'relation, the impellers and runners coacting to form a pairofliquid working chambers and there being a peripheral space between the chambers and easing, the abutting portions of the runners forming a wall that deflnes with the casing a pair of reservoirs located inwardly of thechambers and'the abutting surfaces of the runners being recessed to form a deaerating passage connecting the space and the reservoirs and through which air is driven to the reservoirs dur g the early stages of operation..i

. .4 ydraulic transmission comprising a casing enclosingm pairof fluid turbinetransmission circuits each composed of a pain of cooperative pace being included between the casing and shells. a shaft coaxial with the cas n8. and wall-meansextending from and encircling the, s aft and connected to the innermost pair of shells to .form with the casing a pair. of reservoirs located inwardly of the circuits, the wall means having a deaerating passage connecting the space and the reservoirs and through which air is drivento the reservoirs during the early, stages of operation.

. :5. A ydraulic-transmission comprising a casing enclosing a pair of fluid turbine transmission circuits each composed of a pair of substantially cooperating shells, a shaft coaxial with the casing, aperipheral space being included between the casing and shells, wall means extendand encircling. the shaft and connected to the innermost pair of shells to form with the casing a pair of reservoirs located inwardly of and conduit means connecting the space and, the eservoirs and through which air is, driveniothe reservoirs during the early stages of operation.

' ROBERT M. SCHAEF'ER. 

